Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Is there any way that Akaky could have avoided death in "The Overcoat"? What might have happened if he never had his coat stolen? What if he never bought the coat at all?
- How would the story be different if it ended with Akaky's death? Many people say that "The Overcoat" is one of the greatest short stories in Russian literature. Do you think they would still say that?
- Gogol's narrator speaks in an informal, oral storytelling style. What effect does it have on your understanding of Akaky's tale? How would your experience of "The Overcoat" be changed if the story were told in an objective, literary style instead?
- When we meet the "prominent personage" in "The Overcoat," he has only recently become prominent and his personality has changed dramatically. How do you think he might have behaved before his promotion? Would he have been so mean to Akaky then?
- Based on Akaky's experience in "The Overcoat," what do you think it was like to have been a low-ranking official in his time period? Do you think much has changed for low-ranking people now?